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Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “When you are able to create a lonely place in the middle of your actions and concerns, your successes and failures slowly can lose some of their power over you.” ~ Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude Jesus would regularly separate Himself from the crowds, and even from the disciples, to go off to a lonely, quiet place to pray. It was in the place of solitude where Jesus met with His Father in deepest intimacy so that the everyday work of the kingdom could unfold as God desired. Whenever I allow myself to follow His example, I often come away recognizing that my worth to God is not the same as my usefulness to Him. This is crucial to my well-being, for I am better able to see myself through my Father’s eyes rather than allowing myself to strive for acceptance and value based on my ministry activity. In silence, He cares for my soul in a way that I can be attentive to in the moment. When I am in the midst of everyday activity, I can usually only look back reflectively to notice His involvement in my life. Over the past few years, I have been praying, meditating and actively moving towards God’s transformative activity in my life moment by moment. Stopping to pay attention and pray in the midst of busyness as well as in the quiet, reflective moments have allowed me to practice His presence and welcome His nearness and care in everything…from the most mundane task or thought to the moments when I feel the most pleasure or the most accomplished. He is there – always. He has promised to be. I have started to be keenly aware that God’s life in me can only be reflected by how I live out His kingdom life in the world. The health of this activity is directly related to my life of prayer. So much of my time is a torrent of frenzied activity and urgency. My expectations of myself far exceed the expectations of God. He simply calls me to live like Jesus. I challenge myself to live out Jesus on steroids – an impossibility that is actually counterproductive and paradoxical. Jesus lived simply in a way that demonstrated the intricate dance between activity and holiness – doing and being. Solitude – being still with God alone…is the way I can be more attentive to His presence in the midst of all of life. Yet, if I never stop long enough to have seasons where I can feel the gaze of God upon me, I can’t make course-corrections or learn how to feel His pleasure with me when I am in stressful or busy situations. One story in Scripture that punctuates all of this for me is when Jesus healed the man sitting by the Pool of Bethesda. Jesus, we must surmise from His own narrative in Scripture, chose, at the direction of the Father, one person to heal. One. Out of the many who were anxiously, hopefully waiting for healing, Jesus asked one man if he wished to get well…and didn’t use the waters of the pool to do so. Then, with dozens more sick and ailing all around Him, Jesus moved on without healing any others. Why? Because He wasn’t interested in garnering points with the population for His amazing healing powers through healing as many people as He possibly could. His focus was upon glorifying God through obediently healing the one He had been instructed to heal. The challenge for me…and for all of us, is to seek God, as Jesus often did, in the silent moments of solitude so that we may be able to better hear His voice when He instructs us throughout our day. Perhaps, as Nouwen stated, we will then be able to create those “lonely places” even in the midst of busyness and distractions where our “successes and failures” fade away into the obedient kingdom activity of Jesus. Here are three spiritual goals to challenge you in your relationship with God: 1. To be more aware of God’s continual nearness no matter what activity you may be engaged in or what time of day it is…and to continually recognize that everything is not dependent upon you, but upon Him! 2. To recognize and internalize that simply to be in His presence, without “doing” anything…is enough. 3. To spend more time in silence and solitude listening to the “still small voice” of God and enjoying His company.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I love nativity scenes. The one I have at my office was made in Bethlehem, carved out of olive wood. It’s a full-service scene including Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, donkeys, sheep, and even three wise men and their camels, although biblically they weren’t actually on the scene at that time! But there is something missing from my scene, and most others as well.  It’s a Dragon.  If you really want to be biblical, lose the wise men and find a Dragon. The Bible talks about a Dragon, or rather, The Dragon, being present at the birth of Jesus. This most unusual nativity story is found in The Book of Revelation, chapter 12. Revelation 12:1-6, 17 says, “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.  She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth.  And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems.  His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it.  She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,  and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days….Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” The Lord gives us in His Word, a heavenly perspective of the birth of Jesus that doesn’t fit most of our nice, neat nativity scenes. Satan, the great Dragon was present in the events of Bethlehem and using the human instrument of Herod, attempted to end the earthly ministry of Jesus before it could begin. But Joseph, being warned in a dream, took Mary and the baby to Egypt (the wilderness described in Revelation 12) until the danger had passed. This is an amazing story that continues through our day.  I included Rev.12:17 in the text because it shows that the great Dragon is still making war on the woman and her children; in this case, “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”  As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this year, can we remember that we have brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who are being pursued by the Dragon. It’s a long story and it’s not over yet. You and I, along with all followers of Jesus are still in the story. Pray for those on the front lines, whose very lives are threatened by our common enemy, the Dragon of the nativity story. Our current part of the story, however, is not the end.  That comes later, though perhaps not much later. The Bible tells us about what happens to the Dragon. In Revelation 20:2 we read, “And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. Revelation 20:10 says, “…and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” The victory is complete, but that doesn’t make the current battle less real. Our prayers today connect us with the victory of the Cross in the past and the vanquishing of the dragon in the future. Lord Jesus, we are so grateful for the victory that is ours because of who You are and all You have accomplished. We pray especially today for our brothers and sisters who are being persecuted by the same evil one who desired to kill You. Grant them strength and victory in their struggle. Show us how to pray in a way that expands Your Kingdom and defeats the enemy. In this special time of year in which we celebrate Your Coming as a baby to bring life, we also cry out for Your return as Conquering King!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Spiritual and numerical growth for churches has been under the magnifying glass for many years. There have been multiple strategies put forward to remedy the struggles and deficiencies associated with drawing people to Jesus and His Church…and then growing them into fully committed disciples of Jesus. However,  all one needs to do is study the book of Acts to find God’s solution:  kingdom-focused corporate prayer. After Jesus ascended into heaven, 120 believers obediently met in an upper room to pray as their Lord had instructed them to do: “These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with  the  women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers” (Acts 1:14). This group of believers took Jesus at His word and waited prayerfully for the Holy Spirit that had been promised to them. The result, it was said, “turned the world upside-down for Jesus Christ” (Acts 5:28). Following the model in Acts, let’s see how kingdom-focused corporate prayer is the blueprint for church growth today: 1. The Church must be devoted to praying with one another in one accord:  On the day of Pentecost, several weeks after Jesus’ resurrection, the 120 believers were still meeting together in one place…we must assume from Acts 1:14 that they were still in prayer. The promised Holy Spirit came – as Jesus had told them: “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven” (Luke 24:49). The early disciples were committed to united, corporate prayer for the sake of the kingdom. As leaders, they were at the forefront of leading this movement of prayer as instructed by Jesus. 2. Leaders need to understand that prayer and the ministry of the word is their first priority:  During a time when they could have been lured into other activity, the leaders of the Jerusalem Church said, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). This is a very simple and straightforward job description for church leadership, yet, over time, its simplicity has been perverted by worldly expectations and business models. Training in Bible colleges and seminaries has reduced prayer to a devotional silo expected of every believer and therefore not deemed worthy of academic study or as the foundational strategy for guiding a church or completing the Great Commission. 3. Prayer must be the priority as leaders make decisions:  Here are two decisions that illustrate this point clearly: First, as described in Acts 1:21-26, Peter shared that the Scripture needed to be fulfilled and a new apostle needed to be chosen to take the place of Judas. After nominating two men, “… they all prayed for the right man to be chosen. ‘O Lord,’ they said, ‘you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas…’”  Following prayer, they cast lots and Matthias was chosen to be the 12th disciple. Another decision came in the midst of prayer: “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:2-3).  Neither of these decisions was made by a committee or after long discussions – they were made following or in the midst of corporate prayer by the leaders. 4. Preaching of the Word is prayer-empowered:  In the midst of the activity of the Holy Spirit, the prayed up and prayed for unlikely preacher, Peter, stood up and boldly proclaimed the Truth of Jesus Christ, and those who received that word were baptized. God added three thousand souls to the Jerusalem church on Pentecost. This would have been impossible if Peter had preached in his own strength and power rather than through the power of the Word of God, and after much prayer. 5. God’s people live lives devoted to the ways of Jesus Christ:  “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42). As this lifestyle of Jesus was lived out “with gladness and sincerity of heart” (Acts 2:46), “…the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Praying communities of believers see God do amazing things for God. The bottom line is that praying leaders will multiply praying churches filled with praying disciples! People follow leaders who follow Jesus. Prayer should be the foundational lifestyle for the Church of Jesus Christ.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Several years ago, I prayed with a young woman I had not previously met who was suffering many stresses in her young life: a struggling child, her grandfather’s recent stroke, a difficult ex-husband and a lack of peace. She was a strong believer in Jesus and deeply desired for God to move in her life. As we prayed through these issues one by one, I sensed the Spirit urging me to ask her if she had forgiven her ex-husband. I had no idea what had transpired between them…only that this was a sticking place in her journey of transformation. I took a deep breath and asked the question, “Rosa, have you been able to forgive your ex-husband?” Her eyes opened wide, and she looked startled. “No, I haven’t been able to go there. There was so much abuse.” I prayed for the painful situation in her marriage. Then, I prayed for her ex-husband, asking God to transform him by the renewing of his mind and to change his story and draw him to Jesus. Afterwards, I asked her, “Rosa, do you think you could begin to pray prayers like these for him?” I explained that un-forgiveness and bitterness were harming her spiritually and that as she learned to pray for her ex-husband’s salvation and transformation she would gradually begin to see God change her heart and bring her to a place where she could truly release all of the pain she had experienced into the Father’s hands. She could be free from the bondage of un-forgiveness and be delivered from her anger and resentment towards him. Rosa agreed, although a bit reluctantly, to begin to pray for him and to consider the possibility that her prayers could make a difference in his eternity as well as give her greater peace in her own journey. I am excited to watch God move in the lives of this family as He begins to work in response to Rosa’s prayers. Is there someone you need to pray for today who has damaged or hurt you in some way? Perhaps you are angry with people you don’t even know – politicians, workers on strike, someone who continually parks in your space, etc. Can you ask God to give you the grace to pray for them? So often an inability to pray for certain people blocks the fullness of God’s blessing. We allow the “enemy” to give us feelings of hatred and a desire for revenge…when Jesus says, “…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).  This is not an easy or simple assignment for many…but it is the way of the kingdom.  If we desire a life that follows Christ, we must obey this directive from the One who prayed from the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Prayer as everyday life compels us to connect with the Father through the Son no matter who or what circumstance tries to trip us up in the midst of our journey towards Christlikeness. Neglecting to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us is sin, which Psalm 66: 18 says, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear…” Instead, Jesus tells us, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you” (Matthew 6:14). May the ministry of forgiveness continually be part of us as we step into each day’s journey so that God will be honored and glorified in the midst of His people.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Every election season brings a certain degree of anxiety or uneasiness. It’s a big change when one leader steps down and another takes his or her place. Over the past few years, it seems there is a greater level of anxiety and even anger surrounding our national elections. Social media is a reflection of that. Try expressing an opinion on social media without someone becoming angry about your comments. Today, Christians are faced with some tough choices, and I don’t just mean which candidates to vote for. How do we handle the high level of animosity and tension that is so prevalent in our nation today? How do we live out the lifestyle of Jesus in our politically charged season? I’m seeing a number of choices being made. Some develop a posture of being above it all. “Jesus is my King and I’m not lowering myself into the fray.” Certainly we need to have a Christian worldview that recognizes the temporary nature of nations, elections, and culture itself in the light of eternity. But I would suggest to those taking this path that Jesus himself did not withdraw from the culture or even the politics of his day. He waded into some of the most controversial issues that divided Israel in his day, while at the same time, insisting that His Kingdom was not of this world. There’s another extreme that is also very prevalent. It happens when Christians forget that the advance of the Kingdom of Christ is not dependent upon who our elected officials are. Ignoring that can cause us to become combative, angry, and over-emphasize the importance of any election. In this posture we forget that those in another political party or backing a different candidate are not our enemies. In Ephesians 6:12 we are reminded of this: “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.: We can find ourselves quickly demonizing others (who are flesh and blood), and forgetting the law of love. May I suggest a broad middle ground that allows for many degrees of involvement or non-involvement? It recognizes that in our nation we have been given the astonishing gift of selecting our own leaders. Yes, yes, I know they often fail us. But then, who of us doesn’t fail in our best attempts at times? The truth of the matter is that we still get the opportunity to choose, even if the choices and outcomes aren’t always what we would want. The Apostle Paul commands us in I Timothy 2, to pray for those in authority so that we might live quiet and peaceful lives. He sums up that thought in verse 4, relating it to God’s desire for everyone to be saved. Paul really was interested in who government leaders were - not so he could have a nice, comfortable life, but so that the atmosphere of the nation would be conducive to evangelism. It seems to me that Paul demonstrates a beautiful balance for us regarding our involvement in selecting leadership and voting. Of course, Paul could not even imagine the option of selecting his own governmental leaders. But as I hear his command to pray for those leaders in order to prepare the way for evangelism, I have no doubt that Paul today would add to his command to pray, the command to vote. Pray and vote, so that the purposes of God might be accomplished. So in the midst of a divisive, tense, and angry time, how should we live in this political world? Again, I look to Paul for instruction. To the Philippians, and to us, Paul gives a most contemporary instruction: “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:5-6). Gentleness . . . peace . . . prayer! That’s how we should always approach an election season. And I believe Paul even shows us how to do that. In the midst of his commands he says, “The Lord is near.” We often immediately rush to the Second Coming when we read this, but I’m not sure that’s what Paul is saying. The Lord is near . . .  He is close . . . He is right beside you…He is always with you. With Jesus right next to you . . .  near . . . you can live out His gentleness and His peace. Then you will find yourself praying not only for your leaders, but for all that the Lord places on your heart. Eventually the nearness of Jesus breaks through the clouds with the physical return of Jesus to Planet Earth. But until then, we draw near to Him in prayer and He draws near to us so that we demonstrate to those around us the life of Jesus.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries Many churches struggle with helping people to connect with kingdom ministry when they are unsure of what God wants them to do. Training the Church in the intercessory ministry of Jesus can help most people gain a crucial connectivity to the power of God no matter what life stage or circumstance they are in. We are called to live like Jesus. In Romans 8:34, the one thing we know for sure Jesus is currently doing on our behalf is interceding. He is ministering to His people by coming to God continually on our behalf! Should we not also pray for one another as He prays for us? Intercession for people, nations, situations, churches, etc. can reach far beyond what many will ever know in their own lifetimes. The key is training people to see the kingdom impact of intercession and how praying for others is powerful and effective ministry. It is vital to encourage and train different populations of people in the ministry of prayer: Seniors – So many elderly have one of two mindsets as they age. First, they feel they have put in their time and served and now it is time for the younger people to take their places and it is their time to rest. Or, they feel their time of usefulness is past and are unsure what, if anything, to do for the kingdom of God. Leaders should enlist and engage this powerful army of intercessors and show them how their usefulness to the kingdom extends far beyond their physical abilities. Gather your senior saints together and share with them how vital the ministry of prayer is and personally invite them to accept prayer assignments from the leadership. Seniors can pray for pastors and families, for missionary partners, for the nations, for the children of the church, for the activities and outreaches of the church, etc. Then, give them specific prayer points for these things. Likely, you will need someone in leadership to put some time into coordinating this prayer effort by training where it is needed. Even those who have been believers for a long time don’t really know how to pray for others effectively. Teach seniors to pray the word of God over people, situations, etc. Train them to send prayers via email or personal notes to encourage others. You will be amazed at how prayer ministry can give new life to a group of people who no longer feel needed or useful. Another benefit is that by engaging your seniors in this way, some who might have a tendency to be critical, to gossip or to fall away from the church altogether can be recaptured by the power of the kingdom of God at work in and through them! Kingdom usefulness gives new life. Now that you have the idea using the example of seniors, here are some other populations within your congregation to engage in the ministry of prayer: Disabled/Health Fragile – In our churches today are many people who could be encouraged and trained in the ministry of prayer, but who are marginalized. We are setting aside some prayer warriors who just need to be pointed in the right direction and set free! Children and Youth – Paul said to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12: “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” Our children and youth do not have junior Holy Spirits and should be encouraged from the earliest ages how to seek the face of God and to intercede for others as Jesus did, and still does today. Children are some of the most powerful kingdom intercessors in the church because they are filled with faith! Rather than entertaining our young ones, we should be connecting them to the Vine and training them to minister in and through prayer! Congregational Intercession – Our church prays corporately for another congregation and pastor in our city each week, as well as one of our ministry partners (missionaries). This is kingdom ministry! Can you imagine what God might do as many people focus on interceding for God to move in the lives and work of other churches and ministries in our area and across the world? Rather than being dependent upon one prayer leader speaking a prayer over these needs each week, if everyone took this focus to heart and continued to intercede daily, God would respond in some astonishingly powerful ways in the lives and ministries of many pastors and missionaries. Small Groups – Training small group leaders to lead effective times of prayer is crucial. Otherwise, the short and automatic inclusion of praying will be secondary and focused mainly on health needs alone. We do this as a trained automatic response rather than from heartfelt desire to minister to peoples’ needs. Teach leaders how to help groups see the time of intercession as powerful ministry. Perhaps each small group could adopt an unreached, unengaged people group or a nation where Christians are being persecuted. Prayer is often a lost doctrine of the Church, and its lack is likely the cause of our collective powerlessness for the sake of the kingdom! Much good is being done in the name of Christ, don’t misunderstand me; however, the power of intercessory prayer as modeled for us by Jesus Himself as He actively intercedes at the right hand of God for us has been put on the back burner of spiritual activity. If every ministry was energized by prayer rather than human effort, and if every person in each of our churches was actively trained to engage the Father by seeking His presence, and as a result, if they started interceding, imagine the fuel that would be poured upon the fire of the work of God in our churches!

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries What is it we are asking for as we pray for revival? Ultimately, it is for the people of God to begin to experience the presence of Christ in a fresh new way. All other results flow from that. Changed lives in the Church as well as transformation in a culture come not from human effort, but the power of God made manifest in the lives of His people. This isn’t about praying for a better life or that things would go smoothly for us. It is about God and His purposes being accomplished. The acknowledged leader of the First Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards, was fired by his congregation in the midst of the revival. On a much larger scale, as the Third Great Awakening was taking place in the United States, the nation was dividing into North and South and war then tore the nation into pieces. Some look to another great awakening in this nation as the solution to all of our problems. That would be wonderful but unlikely. It is more likely to take place in the midst of great difficulties and even persecution. If it is widespread and lasting, it may well slow or delay the judgment of God against our sinful nation. More importantly, another great awakening can empower the Church to finish the task of world evangelization. All past revivals have had tremendous evangelistic outreach, and I believe the one to come will as well. In addition, the repentance and humility that will be occurring in the Body of Christ will be a key element in preparing the Bride for the Bridegroom. Revival in the Church can bring a restoration of New Testament purity, passion, and holiness. How do we pray for revival? Certainly Psalm 85:4-7 gives us a clear picture and we would do well to use this in our own prayers: “Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us. Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again,that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation.” One of my personal favorites in revival praying is found in Isaiah 63-64. It is a long passage of Scripture that speaks of Israel’s realization that they were missing the presence of God. They remember days in the past when that was not the case and cry out for God to come back to them. Taking this Old Testament passage and bringing it into New Testament realities is a powerful way of praying for revival. You will find yourself praying with Isaiah, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” –Excerpted from With One Cry: A Renewed Challenge to Pray for America by David Butts, PrayerShop Publishing 2016. Used with permission.

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries “Nothing but the knowledge of God, as the Holy One, will make us holy. And how are we to obtain that knowledge of God, except in the inner chamber, our private place of prayer? It is a thing utterly impossible unless we take time and allow the holiness of God to shine on us.”   ~ Andrew Murray Whenever Moses entered the presence of the Lord, his face shone: “It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him” (Exodus 34:29). His appearance was transformed by being with a holy God. In the same way, the gaze of God, shining upon us as we meet with Him in the inner chamber of prayer, is able to transform us into His holy disciples. Being in the presence of God changes us…and the more time we spend with Him, the more He renovates our heart so that our lives reflect Jesus to everyone around us. As I have been contemplating the mystery of God shining on us in all of His holiness in order that we might reflect the holiness of Christ Jesus, I dug into several scriptures that will help us to prayerfully ask for His holiness to be made manifest in us! 1. We Are Chosen to Be Holy:  “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight…” (Ephesians 1:4). We were chosen to be holy before the world came to be! What an amazing insight into the heart of God. He envisioned us as holy people even before He breathed us into existence. Prayer:  Father, what an amazing truth! You chose me even before you created the world to be holy and blameless in Your sight. I can hardly comprehend how it must grieve Your heart that Your people are so careless with this gift – myself included! Teach me to more fully understand what it means to be set apart for the purposes of Your kingdom!  Shine on me, Holy God! 2. We Are Called to Be Holy:  “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life” (1 Thessalonians 4:7).  After God chose us to be holy, God called us to seek after holiness. Knowing that we have a choice multiple times a day to reflect the life of Jesus in our actions and in what we say, He keeps calling us to choose the way of holiness. How well do we respond to His call? Prayer:  Righteous One, I bow my heart in anguish over my sinful ways and worldly choices. You have called me to be holy and I have not honored Your desire for me to be set apart for Your purposes. Teach me to obey Your call! Shine on me, Holy God! 3. Worship God Because He Is the Holy One:  “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness” (Psalm 29:2 NIV).  “Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor” (1 Chronicles 16:29 NLT). In order to journey more deeply into the transforming work of God to make us His holy people, we must first focus on the glory of our Father, worshiping Him in His holiness. We cannot begin to comprehend the holiness of God in our own lives if we do not camp out in His holy presence. Prayer:  Father, I am in awe of Your holy splendor! You alone are worthy of worship and honor! You invite me into Your presence to give myself as an offering so that You might transform me by Your holiness. May I shine with Your holiness as You shape me into the image of Your Son, Jesus, so that I might be a living reflection of His character. 4. Be Holy Because He Is Holy:  “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15-16). Holiness is not an option – it is a command from Scripture! We cannot fully obey this mandate when prayer is a duty rather than a desire. Prayer is relationship with the Holy One! The One who desires us to be holy as He is holy! When we neglect this relationship, we cannot obey the call to be holy and to be holy in all we do. Prayer:  Holy One of Israel, deepen my desire to fully know You as I am fully known by You. Forgive me of my prayerlessness and thinking I can work my way towards holiness apart from seeking Your face. Show me what it truly means to be holy as You are holy! Shine on me Holy God! 5. Share in His Holiness:  “For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way” (Hebrews 12:10-11 NLT). So many of us look at affliction and suffering as something to be avoided; however, God utilizes these things to refine us. We can’t just arrogantly expect to step into holiness without being purified, cleansed and decontaminated. Our worldliness needs to be contained and transformed into godliness. We should therefore welcome our suffering as the training ground for holiness. Zechariah 13:9 says, “I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’” If we are unwilling to walk through the fire, we are unwilling to be holy as He is holy. Prayer:  Father, if I am truly honest, I don’t like discipline, and I would never choose to suffer if it was dependent upon my selfish desire to avoid discomfort. But I know that if these things were not a part of my life’s journey, I would stay an immature, ineffective believer rather than growing into a purified, kingdom-changing follower of Jesus. Give me the strength to endure your loving discipline, faith to believe that You are in the midst of my suffering, and a submissive spirit to allow the refining fire to do its work to make me holy as You are holy. Shine on me, Holy God! 6. Righteousness Leads to Holiness:  “You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness” (Romans 6:18-19). Paul pegs us! We are “weak in our natural selves”! We must guard ourselves from making unholy alliances with the ungodly culture around us. Jesus has set us free from sin and death; yet, we keep entangling ourselves in darkness and giving in to the temptations of seemingly harmless distractions. It is in prayer where the alliance with righteousness is made strong and kept whole! Prayer:   Lord Jesus, because of You, I have been set free from sin, and Your righteousness has become my own. Give me strength to choose holiness over the temptations of the world. Set off alarm bells in my soul whenever the evil one attempts to distract me from the purposes of Your kingdom. Shine on me, Holy God! 7. Perfect Holiness Out of Reverence:  “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Even in this moment, each of us is likely aware of how easily entangled we can become with what contaminates our desire to be holy people. We cannot walk in integrity of heart when we harbor darkness within us. Prayer:  Holy God, show me how to purify myself from what pollutes my body and spirit! Guard my heart and help me to focus all that I am upon the beauty of Your holiness! Give me strength to walk away from the arrogance of my own thoughts and actions so that day by day I look more like Jesus. Show me how to walk towards a more perfect holiness. Shine on me, Holy God! As we allow the presence of God to impact our lives, He will transform us from the inside out. God’s holiness will be manifested in and through our lives so that our faces truly will shine with the glory of Christ. A.W. Tozer brings this all into a completed whole for us: “Holiness, as taught in the Scriptures, is not based upon knowledge on our part. Rather, it is based upon the resurrected Christ in-dwelling us and changing us into His likeness.”

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries I can sometimes be one of those “squirrel” people – you know the ones. You may be having a conversation and in the middle, the person to whom you are talking or who is talking to you gets suddenly and radically distracted by something completely off topic. My husband can be talking and out of the blue, I will point at something, change the subject, or otherwise divert the conversation. This is always completely unintentional, but frustrating just the same. I can even do it to myself! I will be talking to another person and all of a sudden, my mind gets hijacked by something I see…or by an interrupting sound. Worse yet, I sometimes can’t even remember what I was talking about when my attention comes back around to the person I was originally talking to! So, when contemplating the difference between hearing God and listening to Him, I fully understand the distinction between the two. Unless one is deaf or hearing impaired, hearing is simply an automatic sensory activity. We don’t need to actively “do” anything to hear. Sound happens. What we choose to do with what we hear involves the activity of listening. I know this about myself as well…when I don’t pay attention to what someone is saying to me, I will have to ask them to repeat it or just try to fake that I was listening instead of hearing “blah, blah, blah” while my mind was elsewhere! Listening involves attentiveness…it is attaching meaning to what we have heard. It is also intentionally acting upon what is heard by responding appropriately. Because this is sometimes a struggle for me, depending upon the situation, I have to work at and practice the spiritual discipline of listening well. Prayer often involves active listening because there are times when prayer is relational conversation. There are also times when just being in His presence and “being” is enough. This has been called “keeping company with God.” I love those times of intimacy – just knowing that He is with me and I am with Him. But picking up the voice of God when He speaks to my heart is a completely different prayer experience. I wonder how often I have heard God speak, but because I wasn’t fully and actively listening, I’ve either not obeyed or have missed a blessing. So often, God spoke and still speaks to people who didn’t and/or don’t want to listen. Scripture is filled with examples. In order to become a better listener in conversational prayer, I must practice truly listening to what I hear and gaining understanding. The disciplines of silence and solitude are very helpful and necessary for my transformational growth in listening to God. If I don’t spend time nurturing my soul in this way, I can easily be the person James admonishes: “Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like” (James 1:22-24 MSG). God is very clear about Who we are to listen to: “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him’” (Matthew 17:5)! And Jesus, by example, practiced getting away from the noise and the crowds to hear God in silent, solitary places. How much more should we? In biblical times, people heard from God but didn’t always listen to Him, which means they did not obey. For me it comes down to paying “close attention” to what is heard from Jesus: “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” (Mark 4:23-25 NLT). What a powerful promise and warning! One who demonstrated listening for understanding in Scripture was Mary of Bethany “…who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word” (Luke 10:39). It’s easy to listen to the wrong voices in our culture today. Amidst all of the distractions, hearing the voice of Jesus is sometimes very difficult; however, it can be discerned more easily through practicing the disciplines that our Lord engaged in. One of my deepest desires is to get into a much better rhythm of silence and solitude in order to “listen to Him.”

Originally published as a blog post by Harvest Prayer Ministries A while back, I went through a personally difficult and discouraging season due to some pressing and very serious issues in our family. I’m sure you have all experienced such struggles. And, if you are like me, the almost overwhelming weight of the temptation to “fix” everything in the lives of those I love threatened to undermine my peace, joy and contentment in the midst of my circumstances. As I unburdened my heart to a dear friend, she took me to Psalm 40 and encouraged me to sit there with God for awhile. What an amazing gift! For the sake of this blog, I am only going to focus upon the first three verses. There is so much richness and treasure to be mined here! Let me share with you some of the incredibly restorative prayers that burst out of these verses: Psalm 40:1a  “I waited patiently for the LORD…” The Prayer of Waiting:  Father, help me to wait patiently for You…to experience Your sweet and comforting presence in the midst of the chaos, confusion and pain! I trust You to be the answer to each of my loved ones’ lives…whether an issue, illness, situation, relationship or dysfunction. You alone can repair, restore and heal. Give me the ability to lay down my burdens at the foot of the cross of Christ so that I am able to watch you move in clarity and precision to do what cannot be done in my human strength. Help me to trust You fully with the lives, minds and hearts of those I love so that You can do Your work more perfectly within, around and through them. Please show me how to set aside my pride and my “need” to fix things or to “come to the rescue.” Give me the desire to get out of Your way and let You move! God’s Response to the Prayer of Waiting: Psalm 40:1b “…and He inclined to me and heard my cry.” My Prayer:  How amazing to me that You, the God of the Universe, literally leaned in towards me and heard my cry! How precious I am to You! How grateful my heart is and how much I must mean to You to take time to hear my pitiful cries for help. In the midst of my anguish, You care for me so very much – way more than I could ever imagine! Thank You, Abba Father…for bending down and ministering to my broken spirit. Thank You that I can always know You are listening and hearing me as I call upon Your holy name! Psalm 40:2a “He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay…” My Prayer:  Loving Jesus, You not only heard my cries for help, but You brought me up out of the pit – the desperate place where I was filled with despair and discouragement and doubt and depression. When I was sinking in the mire, You filled me with hope and allowed me to see the light in the midst of one of the darkest places and seasons I have ever known. My heart is filled with thanksgiving that You have literally pulled me out of the clay that was sucking me under. I was struck down but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:9) for You defeated the enemy on my behalf. Psalm 40:2b “He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.” My Prayer:  Grace-filled God, after You pulled me up You gently put my feet on solid ground so I could walk without stumbling! You knew that I would need a firm foundation – a safe place to learn how to walk securely and upon which to dance with delight once again. Father, You helped me to find my balance when I was teetering on the edge of an abyss. I was so afraid I would fall in, for the pressure felt so great and the storm was insatiably vicious. But You held out Your hand to me in the midst of it all and graciously rescued my thoughts from the temptation to give in to despair…and set me down where I could no longer be battered by the taunts and lies of the enemy of my soul. You stood me up on the Rock that is Christ Jesus! Psalm 40:3a “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God…” My Prayer:  Holy Spirit, my joy was literally ebbing away until You rescued me and filled my mouth with fresh, new praises to the God of Glory!  You have given me hope and peace and life once again and in the midst of the struggles of my circumstances, You have reminded me to keep my gaze fixed upon the Holy One. You’ve helped me to understand how to rejoice always, even when life seems brutally unfair – especially to those I love and care for the most.  Please keep teaching me new songs moment by moment, for worshiping the King of kings is my deepest desire. Keep me focused upon Your word, for embedded there is the sword that defeats the enemy. May I sing Your words back to You as a thank offering for all You have done to rescue me from destructive thoughts and actions. “Blessed be Your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you” (Nehemiah 9:5-6). God has done all of these things SO THAT: Psalm 40:3b “Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.” When others see how God has allowed me to walk through my circumstances in victory, they will be in awe of what my amazing, Almighty God can do. They want to trust in a God who can do what He has done, is doing and will continue to do for me when I cry out to Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This scripture doesn’t say that we are to be joyful  for  our difficult and painful circumstances, but it  does  say we are to be joyful, prayerful, and thankful  in the midst  of them. How do we do that? If we will pour out our hearts to God in prayer from our deepest, darkest places of despair, we need to have faith that He will bend down to hear us, lift us up out of the pit, and set us upright on solid footing once again so that we can walk in victorious praise and so that many will see His goodness and power and put their trust in Him. God will use your most devastating circumstances to bring glory to Himself through you! Your prayers from the pit can be the very thing that rescues others from the pit as well. Stand firm in times of suffering and “Wait patiently for the Lord.” He is there and just waiting for you to recognize His presence in the midst of your trials. Trust Him to bend down to listen and hear your cries of desperation so that He can hold out His hand to You and show You His faithfulness. And then…don’t keep His rescue a secret! Give Him the praise and the glory so that “many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.”